emacy, have predominated. The result has
been that the American members of the commission have had to kill
numberless bills passed by the Assembly. On the other hand, some very
necessary and important measures advocated by the commission, measures
which would be very helpful to the Filipinos, are opposed by the
Assembly either through ignorance or stubbornness. Most of the
Assembly members are of the politician type, mestizos or half-breeds
(partly Spanish or Chinese), and very young. "In fact," a Manila man
said to me, "when adjournment is taken, it is hard for a passerby to
tell whether it is the Assembly that has let out or the High School!"
The people in the provinces elect their own governors and city
officials.

In some respects the legislation for the Philippines adopted by the
American officials at Washington and Manila has been quite
progressive. To begin with, our Republican National {168}
Administration frankly recognized the blunders made in the South
during Reconstruction days, and has practically endorsed the general
policy of suffrage restriction which the South has since adopted. When
the question came up as to who should be allowed to vote, even for the
limited number of elective offices, no American Congressman was heard
to propose that there should be unrestricted manhood suffrage.
Instead, the law as passed provides that in order to vote in the
Philippines one must be 23 years of age, a subject of no foreign
power, and must either (1) have held some responsible office before
August 13, 1898, or (2) own $250 worth of property or pay $15 annually
in established taxes, or (3) be able to speak, read, and write English
or Spanish. Of course, the Filipinos, with a few exceptions, do not
"speak, read, or write" English or Spanish; they have been taught only
their own dialect. I understand that only 2 per cent, of the people
can vote under these provisions.

It should be said just here, however, that the government is now
making a magnificent effort to educate all the Filipinos, and the
schools are taught in English. The fact that half a million boys and
girls had been put into public schools was the first boasted
achievement of the American administration of the islands. It was,
indeed, a great change from Spanish methods, but in the last three or
four years the officials have been rapidly waking up to the fact that
while they have been getting the Filipinos into the schools, they have
not been getting t